Hello, and welcome back to Metagame Mentor, your weekly guide to the top decks and latest Constructed developments on the path to the Pro Tour. As Magic World Championship 31 competitors eagerly prepared for that marquee event and I tracked the evolving Standard metagame over the past few weeks, another story was unfolding in the Modern format. On November 22–23, more than 3,300 players competed across Regional Championships for United States, Canada, Japan/South Korea, and Europe/Middle East/Africa. Together, these four tournaments awarded 96 coveted invitations to Pro Tour Lorwyn Eclipsed, which kicks off on January 30, 2026.

Modern's health and diversity were on full display, with an impressive range of archetypes surging toward the top of the standings. Last week, I broke down the broader Modern metagame, including win rates, breakout Magic: The Gathering® | Avatar: The Last Airbender™ cards, and the decks that reached the finals of each Regional Championship. Today, I'll zoom in on the eight spiciest decks that earned a Pro Tour qualification during this enormous Regional Championship weekend. Let's dive in!

Izzet Affinity with Salvage Titan

2 Salvage Titan 4 Fiery Islet 1 Lavaspur Boots 2 Island 4 Engineered Explosives 4 Kappa Cannoneer 4 Mox Opal 4 Memnite 1 Springleaf Drum 1 Shadowspear 1 Aether Spellbomb 3 Emry, Lurker of the Loch 4 Mishra's Bauble 4 Pinnacle Emissary 3 Sink into Stupor 3 Weapons Manufacturing 4 Tormod's Crypt 2 Haywire Mite 4 Spirebluff Canal 1 Claws of Gix 4 Urza's Saga 2 Ashiok, Dream Render 2 Consign to Memory 2 Whipflare 3 Galvanic Blast 4 Metallic Rebuke 2 Harbinger of the Seas

At the Regional Championship for Japan and South Korea, two players took Izzet Affinity featuring Salvage Titan to the Top 8: Atsuki Kihara and Shinnosuke Hando. Their lists diverged in a few places—Hando favored a fetch land mana base over Fiery Islet and opted for Thoughtcast over Emry, Lurker of the Loch and Haywire Mite—but both builds stood out for their eye-catching inclusion of two copies of Salvage Titan.

The deck has essentially no way to produce two black mana outside of an improbable draw involving multiple copies of Mox Opal or Springleaf Drum, but Salvage Titan is mainly meant to be cast by sacrificing three artifacts. This is a cost that Izzet Affinity can pay with ease, converting excess mana rocks or Drone tokens into a massive 6/4 creature. More importantly, Salvage Titan doubles as a sacrifice outlet for Weapons Manufacturing. When you sacrifice 3 Munitions tokens to cast Salvage Titan, the exchange is spectacular: 3 Shocks and a 6/4 creature, all for zero mana!

Weapons Manufacturing in Izzet Affinity was itself a Japanese innovation, first showcased by Shuhei Nakamura, Shintaro Ishimura, and Yoshihiko Ikawa at Pro Tour Edge of Eternities. Salvage Titan feels like the next logical step in that evolution. Since the Japan Regional Championship, Izzet Affinity lists featuring Salvage Titan have appeared in Magic Online Challenges and quickly validated the idea, notching multiple finals appearances.

Golgari Yawgmoth with Badgermole Cub

1 Swamp 1 Windswept Heath 3 Forest 4 Yawgmoth, Thran Physician 4 Agatha's Soul Cauldron 1 Dryad Arbor 2 Misty Rainforest 1 Underground Mortuary 2 Overgrown Tomb 4 Badgermole Cub 1 Orcish Bowmasters 4 Delighted Halfling 4 Green Sun's Zenith 2 Grist, the Hunger Tide 4 Verdant Catacombs 1 Wooded Foothills 4 Malevolent Rumble 3 Walking Ballista 4 Dredger's Insight 4 Young Wolf 2 Boseiju, Who Endures 1 Endurance 3 Spymaster's Vault 2 Ashiok, Dream Render 3 Fatal Push 1 Vexing Bauble 1 Grist, the Hunger Tide 1 Scavenging Ooze 1 Outland Liberator 1 Spore Frog 2 Force of Vigor 3 Thoughtseize

Golgari Yawgmoth received a subtle but meaningful upgrade from Magic: The Gathering | Avatar: The Last Airbender in the form of Badgermole Cub. This two-drop supercharges the mana output of Delighted Halfling or Gilded Goose while conveniently supplying two sacrifice-ready bodies for Yawgmoth, Thran Physician. Across all four Regional Championships on November 22–23, Golgari Yawgmoth lists that included at least one Badgermole Cub posted a respectable 54% win rate in non-mirror, non-draw, non-bye matches.

Yuya Hosokawa and Alexey Paulot both converted that edge into Pro Tour-qualifying finishes. Hosokawa's build leaned on Chord of Calling and Orcish Bowmasters instead of Dredger's Insight and Walking Ballista, but the underlying shell was largely the same.

Paulot's run is especially noteworthy. Just weeks earlier, he had won Magic Spotlight: Spider-Man in Liverpool with Izzet Cauldron, which meant that his 27th-place Regional Championship finish would have been his second qualification for Pro Tour Lorwyn Eclipsed. The invitation passed down, but the accomplishment is impressive all the same. Even more striking is that he did it once again with Agatha's Soul Cauldron, a card that clearly resonates with him. If anyone is poised to uncover a Standard-viable Agatha's Soul Cauldron combo for Pro Tour Lorwyn Eclipsed, it's Paulot.

Dimir Reanimator with Harbinger of the Seas

1 Swamp 4 Persist 2 Flooded Strand 1 Otawara, Soaring City 3 Thoughtseize 4 Fatal Push 1 Tainted Indulgence 3 Unearth 1 Darkslick Shores 1 Harvester of Misery 2 Scalding Tarn 3 Abhorrent Oculus 2 Force of Negation 1 Superior Spider-Man 1 Island 4 Otherworldly Gaze 3 Spell Pierce 4 Archon of Cruelty 2 Undercity Sewers 4 Psychic Frog 4 Polluted Delta 2 Watery Grave 1 Emperor of Bones 2 Sink into Stupor 2 Harbinger of the Seas 1 Marsh Flats 1 Bloodstained Mire 1 Extirpate 2 Force of Despair 1 Mystical Dispute 1 Shatter Assumptions 4 Consign to Memory 2 Orcish Bowmasters 2 Engineered Explosives 2 Harbinger of the Seas

The strategy of discarding or milling oversized threats before casting Unearth on Abhorrent Oculus or Persist on Archon of Cruelty is a familiar one. However, most Modern Reanimator decks splash red for Faithless Looting. As a result, Markus Valori's choice to stick to simply blue and black stands out. By committing to a clean two-color mana base, his Dimir Reanimator deck finished in 37th-place at the Regional Championship in Antwerp, a result that translated into a Pro Tour invitation from Alexey Paulot's pass-down.

Sticking to two colors improves the deck's mana consistency and unlocks the use of Harbinger of the Seas in the main deck. This creature can shut down opposing mana bases and doubles as a perfectly serviceable Unearth target, especially if Abhorrent Oculus doesn't show up. The list also includes a copy of Superior Spider-Man as another way to extract value from the graveyard. While Archon of Cruelty will typically be the preferred card to copy, copying Harbinger of the Seas can be even more impactful in certain matchups, such as against Amulet Titan.

To compensate for the absence of Faithless Looting, the deck turns to Otherworldly Gaze. This instant cannot discard an Archon of Cruelty from your hand, but it digs deep, has a cheap flashback costs, and adequately sets up the graveyard. While Valori was the only player across the four Regional Championships to register a Dimir Reanimator deck, his 10-3-1 record speaks clearly to its power and untapped potential.

Grixis Midrange with Kaito, Bane of Nightmares

4 Counterspell 1 Swamp 1 Thundering Falls 3 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares 3 Thoughtseize 3 Scalding Tarn 1 Darkslick Shores 3 Preordain 2 Orcish Bowmasters 3 Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student 1 Island 3 Force of Negation 3 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer 1 Undercity Sewers 4 Psychic Frog 4 Mishra's Bauble 4 Polluted Delta 2 Subtlety 2 Watery Grave 4 Unholy Heat 1 Sink into Stupor 1 Strategic Betrayal 1 Spirebluff Canal 1 Steam Vents 3 Quantum Riddler 2 Bloodstained Mire 3 Mystical Dispute 2 Ghost Vacuum 4 Consign to Memory 2 Stern Scolding 2 Meltdown 2 Harbinger of the Seas

If Dimir Reanimator represents a clever twist on the more established Grixis Reanimator shell, then Grixis Midrange is an inventive variant of the more widely played Dimir Midrange deck. Álvaro de Alvarenga piloted the archetype to a Top 8 finish at Canada's Regional Championship, showcasing a list packed with the most efficient interaction and flexible threats across all three colors. The numbers back it up. Across the four Regional Championships, six players registered Grixis Midrange, and their combined 63% win rate was the highest among all archetypes with at least two pilots.

For players who enjoy curving Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer into Psychic Frog while keeping opponents off balance with Thoughtseize, Counterspell, and Unholy Heat, this deck offers one of the cleanest ways to play "fair" Magic in Modern.

A standout inclusion is Kaito, Bane of Nightmares, which Álvaro de Alvarenga included three copies of in the main deck. This planeswalker has already proven its worth in Standard, and it translates seamlessly to Modern. Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student pulls double duty as a card-advantage engine, and thanks to flying she is one of the format's best ninjutsu enablers. Ninjutsu neatly dodges countermagic and hexproof keeps Kaito safe from Galvanic Discharge. Once on the battlefield, Kaito can steadily draw cards or temporarily stun an opposing Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury. And in the graveyard, it adds a card type for Unholy Heat. The card fills multiple roles, and each one matters.

Simic Ritual with Essence Flux

1 Flooded Strand 3 Flare of Denial 2 Snow-Covered Forest 4 Coiling Oracle 4 Misty Rainforest 2 Dismember 2 Hedge Maze 4 Abhorrent Oculus 1 Breeding Pool 4 Birthing Ritual 2 Snow-Covered Island 2 Consign to Memory 2 Force of Negation 4 Verdant Catacombs 1 Watery Grave 4 Subtlety 4 Ice-Fang Coatl 3 Essence Flux 4 Sink into Stupor 2 Harbinger of the Seas 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 4 Quantum Riddler 2 Endurance 1 Nature's Claim 3 Mystical Dispute 1 Force of Negation 2 Culling Ritual 2 Consign to Memory 2 Stern Scolding 1 Force of Vigor 1 Harbinger of the Seas

Sebastian Thaler will be a familiar name to anyone who followed the Pro Tour circuit nearly two decades ago. After earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2006, he reached the Top 8 at Pro Tour Yokohama 2007 and again at Pro Tour Berlin 2008. A few weeks ago in Antwerp, Thaler finished in 18th place at the Regional Championship, clinching an invitation to Pro Tour Lorwyn Eclipsed.

It was his card choices, however, that truly set his Regional Championship run apart. Thaler's Simic Ritual list featured the potent pairing of Quantum Riddler and Essence Flux. For just three mana, Essence Flux allows you to keep a warped Riddler on the battlefield while drawing extra cards, which is a nice bit of synergy. Both cards also conveniently pitch to Force of Negation or Subtlety. To make room for the package, and to avoid awkward cascades into Essence Flux, Thaler trimmed Shardless Agent.

Essence Flux remains useful well beyond its primary role. It can blink Coiling Oracle or Ice-Fang Coatl for incremental value, reset an evoked Subtlety into a free 3/3 flier, or protect Abhorrent Oculus from removal. Quantum Riddler, meanwhile, opens up its own lines. You can warp it, sacrifice it to Birthing Ritual before warp's exile trigger resolves, then get a free Abhorrent Oculus or another copy of Quantum Riddler from the top of your library. Each individual card works perfectly well on its own, and when the full interaction comes together, the payoff is substantial.

Ruby Storm with Heroes' Hangout

4 Pyretic Ritual 2 Glimpse the Impossible 2 Elegant Parlor 1 Gemstone Caverns 1 Grapeshot 3 Arid Mesa 4 Reckless Impulse 3 Scalding Tarn 4 Ruby Medallion 4 Ral, Monsoon Mage 1 Sunbaked Canyon 3 Mountain 2 Wish 2 Heroes' Hangout 3 Past in Flames 4 Wrenn's Resolve 4 Desperate Ritual 2 Wooded Foothills 2 Valakut Awakening 1 Sacred Foundry 2 Artist's Talent 4 Manamorphose 2 Bloodstained Mire 4 Orim's Chant 3 Wear // Tear 3 Prismatic Ending 1 Untimely Malfunction 1 Past in Flames 1 Empty the Warrens 1 Grapeshot 1 Brotherhood's End

Ruby Storm may be less spicy than some of the other decks in this article, but it deserves attention for two reasons. First, recent builds are increasingly adopting Heroes' Hangout. Interestingly, across all decks and archetypes from the past four Regional Championships, this innocuous red card was the most-played new-to-Modern card from Magic: The Gathering® | Marvel's Spider-Man.

Typically replacing Strike It Rich, Heroes' Hangout functions like extra copies of Wrenn's Resolve or Reckless Impulse during a combo turn. Although you can only cast one of the two cards, it helps maintain the chain by digging for Rituals or card selection as needed. It also provides a strong consistency boost on turn one, as you can look two cards deeper for a critical Ruby Medallion or Ral, Monsoon Mage. If you already have a cost reducer, you might hit a second land or Ritual, setting up a potentially explosive turn two. The secondary +1/+0 mode is rarely relevant, though it could matter in scrappy games where Empty the Warrens is your path to victory.

The second reason to highlight Ruby Storm is its recent surge in popularity on Magic Online, fueled in part by a favorable matchup against Boros Energy in the ever-evolving Modern metagame. Pierre Liebsch and Arrick Chaulk already showcased the deck's strength with deep Regional Championship runs, and we can expect to see more turn-two storm victories in the weeks and months ahead.

Ascendancy Combo with Peer Past the Veil

MainDeck 2 Flooded Strand 1 Thundering Falls 2 Chart a Course 4 Jeskai Ascendancy 4 Scalding Tarn 4 Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student 2 Hallowed Fountain 2 Peer Past the Veil 1 Breeding Pool 1 Island 4 Mox Amber 4 Mox Opal 1 Aether Spellbomb 4 Emry, Lurker of the Loch 4 Cori-Steel Cutter 4 Mishra's Bauble 1 Vexing Bauble 2 Sink into Stupor 1 Tormod's Crypt 1 Retraction Helix 1 Haywire Mite 1 Steam Vents 3 Metallic Rebuke 2 Fiery Islet 4 Urza's Saga 1 Lightning Bolt 3 Mystical Dispute 1 Mountain 2 Consign to Memory 2 Abhorrent Oculus 1 Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury 1 Haywire Mite 1 Spell Pierce 3 Unholy Heat

Only three players brought Ascendancy Combo to the November 22–23 Regional Championship weekend, but Reed Johnston turned it into an impressive Top 8 finish at the United States Regional Championship.

The deck centers on a powerful infinite loop: tap Emry, Lurker of the Loch to replay a zero-cost artifact from your graveyard, then untap Emry via Jeskai Ascendancy. That artifact is then put into the graveyard—either by sacrificing Mishra's Bauble or by using the legend rule with duplicate Mox Opal or Mox Amber—and the cycle repeats. This produces infinite +1/+1 boosts, near-infinite loots, and eventually infinite mana. If additional attackers are needed, Cori-Steel Cutter provides haste for the army.

A unique inclusion in Johnston's list is Peer Past the Veil. With the deck's many mana artifacts, you can quickly empty your hand and then play Peer Past the Veil to refill with a fresh grip of cards. Chart a Course adds a sorcery to the mix, ensuring access to a variety of card types. Coupled with Jeskai Ascendancy's repeated looting, this setup regularly lets Peer Past the Veil draw five or six cards at instant speed, making it an incredibly efficient card-draw spell.

Golgari Broodscale with Icetill Explorer

1 Swamp 1 Yawgmoth, Thran Physician 2 Forest 4 Agatha's Soul Cauldron 2 Blade of the Bloodchief 4 Misty Rainforest 1 Underground Mortuary 2 Icetill Explorer 2 Overgrown Tomb 4 Basking Broodscale 4 Delighted Halfling 2 Grist, the Hunger Tide 2 Shifting Woodland 4 Verdant Catacombs 4 Malevolent Rumble 4 Walking Ballista 1 Vexing Bauble 3 Dredger's Insight 1 Wall of Roots 4 Young Wolf 1 Haywire Mite 2 Boseiju, Who Endures 1 Spymaster's Vault 4 Urza's Saga 2 Ashiok, Dream Render 3 Fatal Push 1 Pithing Needle 1 Culling Ritual 2 Pick Your Poison 2 Force of Vigor 1 Soul-Guide Lantern 3 Thoughtseize

Broodscale Combo decks with Blade of the Bloodchief appear in a wide array of color combinations and builds. Among the top-performing lists, what stood out was not just the diversity, but also that two players—Coby Schnepf and Cristofer Smith—secured Pro Tour invites at the United States Regional Championships with Broodscale Combo lists featuring Icetill Explorer.

In Smith's deck, Icetill Explorer fills multiple roles. It can replay Verdant Catacombs from your graveyard, recur Urza's Saga to generate an onslaught of Construct tokens, or mill you to feed Agatha's Soul Cauldron or enable delirium for Shifting Woodland. Each effect may seem modest on its own, but together they make Icetill Explorer a quietly powerful value engine.

Golgari Broodscale was the least popular variant among the weekend's qualifying decks, with Mono-Green, Gruul, and Eldrazi builds all seeing more play. Only three players brought Golgari Broodscale, yet Smith's 11-3-1 finish demonstrates that combining the Basking Broodscale combo with a Yawgmoth, Thran Physician engine remains a potent and viable strategy in Modern.

What's Next for 2026?

I've enjoyed highlighting innovative card choices and spicy decks that found success in Magic's premier tournaments in 2025, and I look forward to continuing this Metagame Mentor column in the new year. In early 2026, we'll also surely see the players featured in this article at Pro Tour Lorwyn Eclipsed, and it'll be exciting to see if these deck builders will unveil new Standard innovations at the event.

As 2025 comes to a close, the new year promises a fresh wave of set releases, each undoubtedly bringing new tools and synergies to Magic's diverse Constructed formats. In 2025, every major set introduced several multi-format staples that shaped Modern, Standard, and beyond. If I were to give a highest-impact award to one card from each 2025 set, my picks would be:

Stock Up
Cori-Steel Cutter
Vivi Ornitier [28WE0HISLlXd19BnHk7Q0w]
Quantum Riddler [DcVXPTardYTwehtVUeYxw]
Superior Spider-Man [2uF5mKxhGv8Zq0WV4UEI9k]
Badgermole Cub [LerH8gGFQprXZ5n6Qbelh]

• Aetherdrift: Stock Up
• Tarkir: Dragonstorm: Cori-Steel Cutter
• Magic: The Gathering®—FINAL FANTASY™: Vivi Ornitier
• Edge of Eternities: Quantum Riddler
• Magic: The Gathering® | Marvel's Spider-Man: Superior Spider-Man
• Magic: The Gathering® | Avatar: The Last Airbender™: Badgermole Cub

Each of these cards has reached at least one Pro Tour Top 8 or World Championship Top 8 in Standard this year, and all have seen play in competitive Modern as well. In fact, most appeared in at least one of the highlighted Modern decks in today's article. With an exciting release calendar on the horizon for 2026, I can't wait to see what kind of awesome Magic cards the new year will have in store.